Effect of the Cigarette Smoke Component, 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-Pyridyl)-1-Butanone (NNK), on Physiological and Molecular Parameters of Thiamin Uptake by Pancreatic Acinar Cells

Thiamin is indispensable for the normal function of pancreatic acinar cells. These cells take up thiamin via specific carrier-mediated process that involves thiamin transporter-1 and -2 (THTR-1 and THTR-2; products of SLC19A2 and SLC19A3 genes, respectively). In this study we examined the effect of chronic exposure of pancreatic acinar cells in vitro (pancreatic acinar 266-6 cells) and in vivo (wild-type and transgenic mice carrying the SLC19A2 and SLC19A3 promoters) to the cigarette smoke component 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) on physiological and molecular parameters of the thiamin uptake process. The results show that chronic exposure of 266-6 cells to NNK (3 µM, 24 h) leads to a significant inhibition in thiamin uptake. The inhibition was associated with a significant decrease in the level of expression of THTR-1 and -2 at the protein and mRNA levels as well as in the activity of SLC19A2 and SLC19A3 promoters. Similarly chronic exposure of mice to NNK (IP 10 mg/100 g body weight, three times/week for 2 weeks) leads to a significant inhibition in thiamin uptake by freshly isolated pancreatic acinar cells, as well as in the level of expression of THTR-1 and -2 protein and mRNA. Furthermore, activity of the SLC19A2 and SLC19A3 promoters expressed in transgenic mice were significantly suppressed by chronic exposure to NNK. The effect of NNK on the activity of the SLC19A2 and SLC19A3 promoters was not mediated via changes in their methylation profile, rather it appears to be exerted via an SP1/GG and SP1/GC cis-regulatory elements in these promoters, respectively. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that chronic exposure of pancreatic acinar cells to NNK negatively impacts the physiological and molecular parameters of thiamin uptake by pancreatic acinar cells and that this effect is exerted, at least in part, at the level of transcription of the SLC19A2 and SLC19A3 genes.